Just Maybe
by Paint My Own Reality
Summary: Okay, I reposted this so the format would be fixed. If you didn't read it because of that...READ IT! Based on the idea that Bay and Emmett grew up as neighbors. No mention of the switch, although Daphne may pop up somewhere in there.


**Hey guys, it's my first fanfiction. There will **_**probably**_** be nothing in here about the switch, but I may include Daphne at some point. It depends. Also, the opinions of anyone in here about deaf culture/people do not reflect mine. I respect deaf/hard of hearing individuals. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SWITCHED AT BIRTH.**

I still remember that day. It started out normally, with me getting up and eating a healthy breakfast of pop tarts.

Ha.

I finished my first meal of the day and headed upstairs to get changed for school. After trying on at least five outfits, I chose a black mini skirt with a baggy red and gray shirt tucked into it. I added a charm bracelet to my outfit. It was one of my 16th birthday gifts from my parents. I walked out to my car on six-inch, knee high, black boots without wobbling a bit.

Emmett, the deaf kid across the street, was taking pictures of a tree. The freak. My parents tried to get me and Emmett to "bond" once, but he never talked and it just made me uncomfortable. Plus, he was way too obsessed with photography. It doesn't matter how blue his eyes may be, he's a loser and even talking…err, signing…to him would ruin my status as the "It" girl of my school.

I drove to school and walked into class right as the bell rang. Perfect. Everyone stopped and stared at me, evaluating my outfit, makeup, and hair. All attention was on me, but I pretended like I didn't notice and model-walked to my seat. Bay Kennish. That's my name. I have dark curls, alabaster skin, and more friends on Facebook than Taylor Swift. Every boy watches when I walk down the halls, and every girl is jealous of me. Well, almost every girl. My best friend, Simone Sinclair, joined me in second period.

"BK, I love your shirt! You are so going to start a new trend."

Well, duh. "Thanks." Then an evil smile appeared on my face. "Who was that _sexy _boy you were talking to?"

Simone glared at me. I laughed. The "sexy" boy was actually a dork that followed Simone around everywhere. I knew she wasn't really mad when she laughed too. Every girl's head turned, wondering what was so funny. The teacher shushed us eventually, and the day continued like normal.

As I was walking to my car, someone came up behind me. I spun around to see Nick Douglas, the star football player. He ran a hand through his dark hair and smiled at me. I grinned back, butterflies in my stomach.

"Hey Bay, you're looking good."

"Thanks, you too. How's football?"

"Great. Hey, do you want to come to my game tonight?" He looked at me hopefully, his brown eyes sparkling.

"Sure. Seven o'clock, right?"

"Yeah. See you then!" He walked away then, leaving me grinning like a crazy person. I excitedly drove back to my house then, ready to pick out the perfect outfit. I was going to be home alone, so I wouldn't have any distractions.

When I walked into my house, I heard someone moving around upstairs. That should have been my first clue that something wasn't right. I ignored it though, thinking that Toby's band practice must have been canceled. My second clue should have been the ticking noise. I dismissed it without another thought, not knowing that I would wonder for the rest of my life what would have happened if I had found the bomb before it went off. Everything went black after that. I remember a loud noise – louder than anything I'd ever heard before – and screaming, but that was all.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My parents were all over me, but they weren't talking any. Instead, they were just moving their lips. I stared at them in confusion and tried to tell them to say something out loud. However, when I tried to talk, nothing came out. I tried to talk again, and felt the vibrations that meant that I was making noise. But I wasn't making any noise. A suspicion started to form in my mind, but I wouldn't let it turn into a thought. This was just a dream. This was just temporary. I would wake up to the sound of my alarm clock and I would go on my date with Nick, and everything would be normal, and I would be able to _hear everything_… I fell asleep in a state of denial.

When I woke up and still couldn't hear myself snapping my fingers, the fear set in. I sat up and looked around. A nurse walked in and started to move her lips. I just stared at her, my eyes wide. She started speaking more frantically, and my hands moved to my ears. The nurse stopped talking. A look of pity passed over her face before she rushed out. My parents came in after her. My mom was crying. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but the vibrations in my throat just wouldn't come. It was like a dream. Everything was surreal.

Yet when I pinched myself, it still hurt.

I started seeing black spots as the realization of what was happening sunk in. I had lost my hearing. That explosion had made me deaf. I would never hear my mom's voice again, or the sound of my dad's footsteps. I would never wake up to the chirping of the birds. I would fall asleep and wake up to silence. I could taste salty tears streaming down my cheeks, running into the corners of my dry mouth. I could feel my clenched hands at my sides, fingernails making deep cuts in my skin. I could see my devastated family. I could feel the painful IV, dripping fluids in my hand. I could smell the horrifying scent of alcohol. I could taste blood from when I bit my tongue. But I couldn't hear a thing.

I must have fainted because I woke up for the third time in a hospital bed. However, nobody was in the room with me. The IV was out of my hand, and a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt was on a table beside my bed. I changed and then decided to walk outside.

While I was on the sidewalk, blinking away the bright sun, I happened to see my family's car. Without thinking, I stepped onto the street. If I still had my hearing, I probably would have heard the screech of truck tires. I would have heard the horns honking, the people screaming. But I didn't have my hearing. I still have no idea how I managed to get out of the way quick enough. The huge truck screeched to a halt, and a gruff looking truck driver climbed out. He started yelling at me, gesturing his hands as he spoke. I just stood there, not able to understand a thing. He came closer to me and started shaking my shoulders. Frightened, I stepped back and pointed at my ears. I felt the traitorous tears start to well up in my eyes.

The man stopped yelling and looked at me. Pity flashed across his face. He grabbed my arm and led me back into the hospital. Before he left me in the lobby, he pulled out a scrap piece of paper and wrote two words on it. _Be careful._

I didn't mind that he left without seeing that I was okay. I just wanted to be alone. I shooed off the frantic nurses and tried to remember the way back to my room. As I was about to walk in, a hand grabbed my shoulder. I jumped six feet in the air and spun around to see Nick Douglas looking at me. An _uh-oh_ ran through my mind.

He started talking really fast. I just stood there, waiting for him to slow down. When he finally stopped talking, I pointed to my ears. He just stared at me. Getting sick of having this "conversation" again, I gestured again at my ears while shaking my head. Nick still didn't respond, so I decided to try talking again.

"I can't hear you," I said. He cringed and started to back away. However, he spoke slowly enough so I could understand him this time.

"Never mind. You're just another deaf freak now." Anger boiled in my blood. Right before he could walk out of the hospital, I slapped him. In front of everyone. Then I stalked back to my room and collapsed on my bed, the tears finally escaping from my eyes.

The next two days passed in a blur. I found out that my hearing would never come back. Turns out that in some cases, the hearing can return. My case was impossible though, according to the doctors. I started to hate them for no reason. I hated the way that when someone called their name, they turned around. I hated that when I dropped my food tray, they came rushing in my room, saying that they had heard something. I hated that they could hear and that I was just another deaf freak. When I was finally allowed to leave the hospital, it was just to go to a hotel. My house was being repaired after the bomb. I wondered why we didn't just buy a new one, but I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I sat on my bed and stared at the TV, watching the lips of the characters move. I tried to figure out what they were saying with no success. I finally fell asleep to the silence that I used to crave but hate so much now. We stayed at different hotels for two months. During that time, my family and I barely communicated. When we did, it was by writing notes on pieces of paper. I was silent and I knew my parents and Toby were worried about me, but they wouldn't understand. And I didn't want to explain.

After two months of living away from home, my mom dropped the bomb on us all. Turns out, we were going to be living with the Bledsoes for one more month. When we all tried to argue, she gave us a lecture on how it would be good for us to get used to living in a "deaf environment." Well, I got the short pen-and-paper version, but I'm guessing that's along the lines of what she told them.

One week later, we were standing on the doorstep of Melody and Emmett Bledsoe's house. I gazed longingly at the home behind us. I knew things would never be the same, but I wanted something familiar. And now even my house wouldn't be the same. My mom tapped on my arm, and I looked up to see that the door had been answered. I shook Melody's hand, and then turned to Emmett. I shook his hand too, trying to smile. It probably looked more like a painful grimace. For a moment, I saw pity flash across his face and I felt anger stir up inside me for some reason. I don't want people's pity. I'm just as strong as I was before. I'm the same person.

I quickly turned away from him and pretended to understand the exchange between Melody and my family. I felt Emmett's gaze burning through the back of my head, but I didn't turn around. I knew I was being rude, but I didn't care. Melody showed me to my room for the next month. It was a lot smaller than my old one, but I didn't care. I didn't have to share it with anyone. I could cry all I wanted and no one would know. Melody patted my back and left me to be on my own. _"Finally!" _I wanted to scream. I collapsed on my bed and cried until my eyes were as dry as the Sahara Desert.


End file.
